Maybe we could also get the passengers to stay at home and just watch a video of the destination they wanted to visit.
In this case the plane would not even need to take off, making it even safer and saving the fuel, reducing environmental impact etc.

......never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. – John Donne

What I mean by this is that, if/when a passenger notices something that none of the flight crew have noticed, like the contamination of a wing in icy conditions prior to takeoff, or a strange smell, or sparks coming out of an engine, he/she should be able to convey that rapidly to the cockpit

I am as appalled as you for the omission of the MOST IMPORTANT pilot error: Wrong flap settings.

I now want an ISGCPOTM with 46 million years of experience, two RSGPOTMs, an ASGEPOTM, a(n?) HBA and an EVAN to discuss the practicality and feasibility of having 6 bazillion cameras monitoring every single point of failure on a plane... And having its own backups, obviously, as it would be pretty sucky if, say, the electrical system catching fire is the same that feed the cameras, or the camera that would have shown the falling engine is MELed since 1972.
THAT SAID, I, APTOTM, have always wondered why we don't have cameras in the cockpit (solving a TOTALAIR DISASTER!!! seems more important than ATLCrew's privacy to me). I suspect that nobody has thought of that before me; good thing our friend over there (and now I here) has said it for the Agencies to hear. And imagine all the material for "caught on camera" programs we would have!

...And imagine all the material for "caught on camera" programs we would have!...

There is significant ironing there, if you invest 10 minutes looking at YouTube videos.

Why REQUIRE cameras when we have folks voluntarily putting Go-Pro cameras all over creation, and then putting the stuff on YouTube so it can be reposted on aviation discussion fora.

I am impressed at many things:

-Folks having cameras at all in commercial cockpits.
-Folks putting cameras ALL OVER light aircraft (Actually, there is a Gabriellian discussion there at the cost of plane rental, I guess you should film it so you can enjoy it over and over...good economics)

-Folks putting 'educational' YouTubes out there...I'm sure all of our favorite Super Geniuses could find some of these instructional YouTubes to be just as flawed as Gabe, 3BS and Brian's parlour talk.

I actually thought about posting this for Evan the other day...this is great fuel for a few separate discussions.

(Yes, off topic, as it's VIRTUAL video monitoring of VIRTUAL flaps on a VIRTUAL airplane...they SHOULD put REAL flap monitors like this at each seat with a button to forward a photo/video directly to the cockpit!)

Not Karl: Good catch on the cameras & wiring being an added fire risk.

I also note that Evan mentioned fuel-leak cameras so the cockpit can make a more informed decision whether to slow taxi or stop and pool.

Regarding Stickshaker- Did he mention these two critical nuances?:

1) The cameras must live-stream to an external storage location.
2) The cameras need a sophisticated anti-turn-off mechanism (including some way to prevent a guy from slapping duct tape over the lens(es)) for the cases of restroom-break facilitated suicide...definitely no access to any CBs (not_cumulonimbus)

The above two would have been so valuable to MH-17.

Regarding guys slapping Go-Pro's all over their light aircraft...I think there needs to be more regulations and oversight...the cameras can conceivably affect aerodynamics and weight and balance...I would think that a formal STC would be required!

It's normal for members of the public to assume that because something is available to the consumer that it should be industrialised, installed, , configured, maintained and optimised as a matter of course. Why do we so readily forget that people are stupid and don't think out the consequences of these things?

...Why do we so readily forget that people are stupid and don't think out the consequences of these things?...

A trade secret from the lawn care industry. Be sure to spread fertilizer liberally on the BACK patio.

Makes no sense to an outsider...you might even argue that it wastes fertilizer and makes a mess.

As an insider expert, it vastly reduces the number of complaints that the applicator did not_fertilize the back yard.

Blood clots cause problems to people...why don't we simply install filters on people? Seems like a great idea from the outside. My insider contacts inform me that 1) the filter is a source of new blood clots itself + the risk of installation = we are generally better off without it (although in certain cases such filters are indeed used for medical treatment).

Amateur pilots are putting go-pro's everywhere and it's so easy to stream video on your I-phone...AND are there not a couple crashes out there where we just don't have a clue what happened and wish there was a little video for insight?

SEEMS like a good idea...just like vein filters and keeping the fertilizer granules off the back porch.

All that plus as many of us get old, new folks learn to love flying machines and fine online fora where such things are discussed.

Blood clots cause problems to people...why don't we simply install filters on people? Seems like a great idea from the outside. My insider contacts inform me that 1) the filter is a source of new blood clots itself + the risk of installation = we are generally better off without it (although in certain cases such filters are indeed used for medical treatment).

Blood clots cause problems to people...why don't we simply install filters on people? Seems like a great idea from the outside. My insider contacts inform me that 1) the filter is a source of new blood clots itself + the risk of installation = we are generally better off without it (although in certain cases such filters are indeed used for medical treatment).

I am 80% certain that a hanging string exists somewhere as a formal procedure for total instrument failure. An instructor mentioned it to me and maybe I read it somewhere. I'm not sure how it would work, but perhaps it could indicate how to return from an excessive bank to a more reasonable coordinated turn...at least when you consider it from a total ass hat outsider unrealistic viewpoint...

But... setting aside the limitations of the "instrument" for a moment, can I get a show of hands of all pilots who carry a ball of string on their person or in the aircraft at all times when flying, as well as a pair of scissors to cut it to the correct length?

I am 80% certain that a hanging string exists somewhere as a formal procedure for total instrument failure. An instructor mentioned it to me and maybe I read it somewhere. I'm not sure how it would work, but perhaps it could indicate how to return from an excessive bank to a more reasonable coordinated turn...at least when you consider it from a total ass hat outsider unrealistic viewpoint...

It would be just like the ball in the turn coordinator. Will tell you if the turn is coordinated or not, but under no way it will tell you if the bank is high or not. I have never done aerobatics (except in MSFS), but I did do very steep turns (in the order of 70 to 80 deg bank) and the ball was perfectly centered. The string will not tell you that you are in a deep spiral dive, for example. Not to mention that, unlike the ball that is highly damped and constrained to a 1D motion, the stone will be moving side to side and back to front like crazy.

I am 80% certain that a hanging string exists somewhere as a formal procedure for total instrument failure. An instructor mentioned it to me and maybe I read it somewhere. I'm not sure how it would work, but perhaps it could indicate how to return from an excessive bank to a more reasonable coordinated turn...at least when you consider it from a total ass hat outsider unrealistic viewpoint...

It would be just like the ball in the turn coordinator. Will tell you if the turn is coordinated or not, but under no way it will tell you if the bank is high or not. I have never done aerobatics (except in MSFS), but I did do very steep turns (in the order of 70 to 80 deg bank) and the ball was perfectly centered. The string will not tell you that you are in a deep spiral dive, for example. Not to mention that, unlike the ball that is highly damped and constrained to a 1D motion, the stone will be moving side to side and back to front like crazy.

"We" understand that. As crazy as it sounds, I'm thinking it's a written procedure somewhere...maybe never used successfully...indeed, the string will often not show "down"